Now and Then
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 10th April 2024
Characters: Oselle
Description: Oselle reflects on her first day as Headwoman.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 6 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Saibra
It had been a long first day.
Oselle closed the door to her new suite before letting her shoulders sag with the weight of it. She lit a glow and retreated to her bedroom and the large, four-poster bed that waited for her there. The urge to simply throw herself down onto the blankets was overwhelming, but that was a slovenly habit. Instead she set the glow basket on the vanity to undress.
It was the time difference between Dragonsfall Weyr and her old home that made today so exhausting, perhaps. Or maybe it was because she'd been on her feet from before dawn to candlemarks before midnight. **Or maybe you're simply getting older.**
Oselle unclasped the wide, black belt with its jangling rings of keys and hung it on the wardrobe door. The tiny shell buttons at her wrists yielded to her fingers. The dress came next, and she hung it carefully on a hanger before pulling on a soft grey tunic and pants to sleep in. The Headwoman finally, gratefully climbed into the wide bed, the weight of the blankets warm and comfortable as a hug.
That morning she'd met with all the Assistant Headwomen at the Weyr, learning their names, their temperaments, their quirks and histories. She'd always been a quick and accurate judge of character.
From there, she'd asked each Assistant Headwoman to tour her through their respective spaces: the kitchens, the laundry, how cleaning schedules were drawn up, the storerooms. Then a quick lunch and a tour of the Candidate's quarters, the stables, and then finally to the far gardens, fields and pastures that fed the Weyr and its dragons.
Memories haunted each hallway. Her daughter Ditelle had been born in the second birthing room. The whorls in the grain of the wooden door were the same. She'd met her first weyrmate in the rose garden, which was now planted with tidy rows of berry bushes. Her second weyrmate had proposed on the ledge overlooking the upper weyrlake. The scent of the laundry, the taste of the butter on her tongue-- all so familiar.
Tomorrow would be a long day as well. The quickest way to earn the respect of the women and men who served the Weyr was to serve alongside them. Get her hands dirty. Tomorrow was dish duty in the morning and laundry in the afternoon. The day after she'd be cleaning apartments and weyrs, and the day after that she'd do inventory as a tithe train arrived from the Vintner Hall.
**I should make a list,** she thought. **I must speak with the head chef about the temperature of the gravy at dinner. How are days off assigned to the staff... there must be a book somewhere. And I must... book an appointment with Saibra....**
Her eyes drifted closed as sleep claimed her. Oselle dreamed of flits dancing over the dinner tables, her baby daughter bouncing on her lap and canines with soft white paws who brought her bones and books and told her that she couldn't forget, but she'd already forgotten what she was supposed to remember.
Last updated on the April 11th 2024